The New Lioness In Season 2 Explained: Who Is Captain Josephina Carrillo, Played By Genesis Rodriguez?

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Special Ops: Lioness

Spoiler alert: The following article contains spoilers from Lioness season 2, episodes 1 and 2.Laysla De Oliveira as Sergeant Cruz Manuelos is out and Genesis Rodriguez as Captain Josephina "Josie" Carrillo is in in Lioness season 2. Cruz served as the Paramount+ spy thriller series' first Lioness in season 1, and Josephina takes her place in season 2. As many may recall, Special Ops: Lioness season 1 ended with Cruz completing her mission but also severing ties with Zoe Saldaña's Joe McNamara and the Lioness program. So, heading into season 2, the team has to find a new highly skilled female operative for their next mission.

The name of the Paramount+ spy thriller series changes from Special Ops: Lioness to simply Lioness in season 2.

Joe put Cruz through the wringer in Special Ops: Lioness season 1, but unfortunate circumstances also accounted for the Lioness' trauma in the Taylor Sheridan TV show. The Force Recon Marine fell in love with her target — Aaliyah Amrohi, the daughter of a terrorist. Of course, this complicated the entire operation and gave Cruz an influx of conflicted feelings. In the end, Cruz felt as if Joe and the Lioness program had turned her into a monster, causing her to walk away. So, Joe (well, technically Kyle) finds a new operative to complete a high-stakes mission in Lioness season 2.

Genesis Rodriguez Plays The New Lioness, Captain Josephina Carrillo

Rodriguez Previously Starred In The Umbrella Academy

Genesis Rodriguez joins the cast of Lioness season 2 as Captain Josephina "Josie" Carrillo, Joe's new Lioness. The actress doesn't appear until towards the end of episode 2 since the first one-and-a-half episodes are spent setting up this season's story. However, when Rodriguez does finally show up, her character proves to be a force to be reckoned with.

Genesis Rodriguez's Notable Movies & TV Shows

Role

Prisionera	Libertad Salvatierra Santos
Dame Chocolate	Rosa "Rosita" Amado/Violeta Hurtado
Doña Bárbara	Marisela Barquero/Young Bárbara Guaimarán
Entourage	Sarah
Hours	Abigail Hayes
Big Hero 6 and Big Hero 6: The Series	Honey Lemon (voice)
The Umbrella Academy	Sloane Hargreeves/Sparrow Number Five
Special Ops: Lioness	Josephina "Josie" Carrillo

Before starring in Lioness season 2, Rodriguez appeared in a variety of movies and TV shows, notably The Umbrella Academy. The actress joined the cast of The Umbrella Academy season 3 as Sloane Hargreeves/Sparrow Number Five, her most prominent role to date. Rodriguez has also starred in a handful of Telemundo telenovelas, including Prisionera, Dame Chocolate, and Doña Bárbara. Viewers might even recognize Rodriguez's voice as she played Honey Lemon in Big Hero 6 and Big Hero 6: The Series.

Josephina Carrillo's Connection To The Los Tigres Cartel In Lioness Season 2

Josie Is The Los Tigres Cartel's Leader's Niece

In season 2 of Paramount+'s TV show Lioness, Genesis Rodriguez's character, Captain Josephina Carrillo, is chosen as Joe's next Lioness because of her seemingly close connection to one of the targets — Alvaro Carrillo. Alvaro is Josephina's uncle and also happens to be the leader of the Los Tigres Cartel in Mexico. However, Josephina claims that she has never been in contact with Alvaro or any of her extended family south of the border. Josephina's father (and Alvaro's brother), Pablo Carrillo, immigrated to the United States with his aunt and uncle when he was five years old.

It's Honestly Wild That This 56% Rotten Tomatoes Show With Nicole Kidman & Morgan Freeman Exists

Taylor Sheridan's star-studded series Lioness features Nicole Kidman, Morgan Freeman, and Zoe Saldana yet still received poor reviews among critics.

Pablo later joined the Army and gained citizenship during the Gulf War. In the present time in the world of the Nicole Kidman TV show, Pablo is an immigration lawyer living in Dallas, Texas. Despite never having earned over $110,000 in a year, Pablo and his family live in a multi-million dollar mansion. So, it's obvious to Joe and her team that Pablo is in contact with his brother. Meanwhile, Josephina is a highly decorated helicopter pilot in the Army, making her the perfect person to become a Lioness and infiltrate her own family in Mexico.

Why Josephina Carrillo Is Being Recruited As The New Lioness

Joe & Her Team Want Josephina To Infiltrate The Los Tigres Cartel

Genesis Rodriguez as Josephina Carrillo in Lioness season 2 (1)

The CIA plans to get Josephina dishonorably discharged from the Army in Lioness season 2 on Paramount+. It can't be faked either — the Army has to legitimately (and publicly) kick her out, catching her uncle's attention. Once Josephina is dishonorably discharged, they expect the Los Tigres Cartel to reach out to her since she's a skilled helicopter pilot and recruit her to their side. The cartel and Alvaro would want Josephina to use her experience to fly cargo from Mexico into the United States. All the while, Josephina would be gathering intel and trying to identify the real target.

Josephina should have unparalleled access to the cartel and MSS, giving her the means to find this agent.

On the surface, Alvaro and the Los Tigres Cartel might seem like the target, but they aren't. In reality, the CIA has learned there is a Chinese agent with the Ministry of State Security who is the real mastermind behind Congresswoman Hernandez's kidnapping. The Los Tigres Cartel might be the ones on the ground, but MSS is pulling the strings in Taylor Sheridan's TV show.

Lioness season 2 contains eight episodes, with the first two premiering on Sunday, October 27, and the finale dropping on Sunday, December 8, on Paramount+.

So, Josephina should have unparalleled access to the cartel and MSS, giving her the means to find this agent. Once she does, Josephina will serve as a Trojan horse by flying a team to the MSS agent. They will then either catch or kill him based on the President's orders.

What Happened To Laysla De Oliveira's Cruz Manuelos?

Cruz Doesn't Appear In The First 2 Episodes Of Lioness Season 2

While all this is happening in the first two episodes of Lioness season 2, Laysla De Oliveira's Sergeant Cruz Manuelos is nowhere to be found. Not one character has even mentioned the show's first Lioness. However, even though Cruz is not a part of the main story at the start of Lioness season 2 doesn't mean she won't appear later in the Paramount+ original TV series.

Special Ops: Lioness Cast

Role

Zoe Saldaña	Joe McNamara
Laysla De Oliveira	Cruz Manuelos
Dave Annable	Neal McNamara
Nicole Kidman	Kaitlyn Meade
Morgan Freeman	Edwin Mullins
Genesis Rodriguez	Josephina "Josie" Carrillo
Michael Kelly	Byron Westfield
Thad Luckinbill	Kyle McManus
Jill Wagner	Bobby
LaMonica Garrett	Tucker
James Jordan	Two Cups
Austin Hébert	Randy
Jonah Wharton	Tex
Stephanie Nur	Aaliyah Amrohi
Hannah Love Lanier	Kate McNamara
Martin Donovan	Errol Meade

De Oliveira is included in Lioness season 2's opening titles, which makes her absence confusing, but it's also a good sign for those wanting to see Cruz. De Oliveira's character will likely appear in some capacity following the two-part premiere. Although, it's unclear when Cruz will show up. Until then, Lioness season 2 will continue building upon and focusing on Josephina's character as she is Joe's new Lioness.

Special Ops: Lioness is a Paramount+ original series starring Zoe Saldana and Nicole Kidman. The series centers on a marine and a CIA agent who work together with the daughter of a dangerous terrorist group to destroy the organization. Taylor Sheridan (Yellowstone co-creator) and Jill Wagner created the series, which was directed by Paul Cameron and Anthony Byrne.

Release Date July 23, 2023

Showrunner Taylor Sheridan

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